The invention relates to an arrangement for packing drug portions into dispensing packages, comprising a dispensing machine, wherein the dispensing machine comprises a plurality of storing and metering stations which can each accommodate a plurality of drug portions and individually discharge the same, a packing device which receives the drug portions dispensed by the storing and metering stations and places them into dispensing packages, and a control device which controls the reservoir and metering stations and the packing device, wherein each storing and metering station comprises a stationary part which is fixed to a frame of the dispensing machine, and a removable part which contains a refillable reservoir for drug portions, wherein the removable part has an information memory, and wherein a reading device for reading the information memory is functionally assigned to the stationary part.
An arrangement of the type named above is known from EP 1 634 560 A1. In this known arrangement, the information memory is part of an HF tag, and stores information on the tablets contained in the reservoir—such as their names, the number of tablets present, and the tablet weight, by way of example. The stationary part contains a tablet information access unit which is connected to a host computer and which is given an address. The tablet information access unit has an HF module with an antenna for the purpose of communicating with the HF tag. The information to be stored in the memory of the HF tag is written into the tablet information access unit via the HF module under the control of the host computer when the removable part is first placed on the stationary part, and the address of the tablet information access unit serves as an identifier. The host computer can request the address and/or identifier of the tablet information access unit and the tablet information queried from the memory of the HF tag by the tablet information access unit, and store the same in its memory together with the position of the storing and metering station.
In addition, such an arrangement is known from the patent application EP 12 182 634.1, which is not yet published, said arrangement comprising a charging station which serves the purpose of refilling drug portions into the reservoir of a removable part, which has been removed, of the storing and metering station. In this arrangement, the information regarding the tablets or capsules is written into the information memory when the reservoir is filled at the charging station. This information includes, in addition to the information which identifies the drug, information on the batch which is currently being refilled—for example the expiration date or the number of drug portions refilled.
Proceeding from this arrangement, the problem addressed by the invention is that of enabling the control device to reliably detect whether the reservoir of a removable part which has been (re-)placed on a stationary part has been refilled, or has only been removed temporarily for other reasons, and whether the data pertaining to the refilling has been correctly acquired by a database of the control device.
This problem is addressed according to the invention by an arrangement and/or a method having the features discussed below.
The arrangement according to the invention for packing drug portions into the dispensing package comprises a dispensing machine and at least one charging station. The dispensing machine has a plurality of storing and metering stations which each accommodate and can individually discharge a plurality of drug portions, a packing device which receives the dispensing package discharged by the storing and metering stations and places the same into drug portions, and a control device which controls the storing and metering stations and the packing device. Each storing and metering station has a stationary part attached to a frame or housing of the dispensing machines, and a removable part containing a refillable reservoir for drug portions. The removable part has an information memory which stores an identifier of the removable part, among other things. A reading device for the purpose of reading the information memory is functionally assigned to the stationary part. The at least one charging station serves the purpose of refilling drug portions into the reservoir of a removable part, which has been removed, of the storing and metering station. Each information memory contains a memory location for a filling code. Every time the reservoir has been refilled, the filling code is changed at the charging station in such a way that the refilling can be detected by the control device when the information memory is read by the reading device after the removable part has been placed back onto the stationary part of the same or a different storing and metering station.
This storing and modifying of a filling code has the advantage that, after the removable part has been replaced on a stationary part, it is possible to check, during a subsequent comparison of the filling code stored in the removable part—the current filling code—with a modified filling code transferred to a database by the charging station during the filling of the reservoir—the target filling code—whether these are the same. If this is not the case, an error has occurred; by way of example, the target filling code, and along with it, the data on the new filling of the reservoir, has not been properly transmitted to the database. In this case, the control device of the dispensing machine knows that it cannot use the (obsolete) data, contained in the database, on the drug portions contained in the reservoir.
In one simple embodiment, the memory location stores a bit for the filling code, the value of which is inverted after each refilling at the charging station. These two possible values of the filling code memory are adequate for detecting the simple fact of a refilling. However, this simple variant is prone to errors, such that a further bit (checkbit) should optionally be redundantly added. As an alternative, an incrementally increasing number—that is, a fill counter—can be used for each filling. In one preferred embodiment, the filling code is a time stamp which corresponds to the refilling at the charging station. The time stamp can simply contain a date—for reservoirs which can never be filled twice per day. However, it can also contain a time or a value of a random counter which counts independently of date and time. This manner of filling code is more secure, and also allows recording of a filling history.
In one preferred embodiment, the reading device which is functionally assigned to the stationary part has devices for wireless communication with the information memory. Such devices can be based on modulated alternating magnetic or electromagnetic fields in the low- or high-frequency range, or optical signals. This avoids mechanical contacts between the removable part and the stationary part, and increases reliability. The wireless communication must, of course, be configured (for range limitation or alternating coding) in such a manner that the communication procedures of neighboring storing and metering stations do not interfere with each other.
The reading device which is functionally assigned to the stationary part can be attached to the frame or housing near to the stationary part. Multiple stationary parts can also be functionally assigned to one reading device. In one preferred embodiment, however, the stationary part of each storing and metering station contains one reading device. This makes it possible to arrange the reading device and the information memory close to each other, which reduces the consumption of energy during the reading process. If the reading device and the information memory each have transmitting/receiving devices for wireless communication, the close arrangement allows very small ranges and transmission powers, which reduces the risk of mutual interference between neighboring storing and metering stations, and also reduces the energy consumption.
The information memory is preferably a non-volatile solid state memory—for example a battery supported RAM or, preferably, an EEPROM, for example a flash storage. Such a solid state memory takes up little space and is therefore easily accommodated in the removable part.
In one preferred embodiment, the information memory is connected to an RFID component, or is contained in an RFID component. The RFID component can be designed in such a manner that it works without its own power supply—that is, it is inductively powered by the reading device and/or the read/write device when read or written to.
One preferred embodiment is characterized in that the stationary part of the storing and metering station contains a first part of a dispensing device, and the removable part of the storing and metering station contains a second part of the dispensing device, wherein the first part of the dispensing device contains a drive for the purpose of driving a separating mechanism to output individual drug portions, wherein the second part of the dispensing device has an outlet opening of the reservoir. In this embodiment, the first part of the dispensing device preferably has a controller which is coupled to the reading device and to the control device. In addition, the second part of the dispensing device preferably contains a separation mechanism which is driven by the drive and which is matched to the shape of the drug portions. This division of the elements of the dispensing device between the stationary part and the removable part has the advantage that elements which must be adapted to the type and shape of the drug portions are accommodated in the removable part which comprises the reservoir, and therefore can be adapted to the drug portions contained therein. In contrast, the elements which either need a power supply voltage (such as the drive motor, for example), or which have an uninterrupted communication connection to the control device (such as, by way of example, the controller coupled to the reading device and/or the drive), are accommodated in the stationary part, which can be connected to the voltage supply and/or the control device via cables.
The changed filling code could be changed at the charging station after the refilling, by means of a programming device in a separate step. However, the charging station preferably has a read/write device for reading information from the information memory, comprising the identifier of the removable part, and for writing information into the information memory, comprising the filling code. This read/write device can be arranged in such a manner that it can communicate with the information memory of the removable part during the filling.
In the method according to the invention for refilling a reservoir of a storing and metering station of a dispensing machine with drug portions, first in a step a) a removable part, containing the emptied reservoir of a storing and metering station is removed and transported to a charging station. The dispensing machine has a plurality of storing and metering stations, a packing device which receives drug portions discharged by the storing and metering stations and places the same in dispensing packages, and the control device which controls the packing device. Each storing and metering station comprises a stationary part and a removable part which contains the refillable reservoir. The removable part has an information memory which stores an identifier, among other things, and a memory location for a filling code. A reading device for the purpose of reading the information memory is functionally assigned to the stationary part. Before and during this removal and transport to the charging station, the memory location contains a first value for the filling code. In a step b), the identifier is read at the charging station, the reservoir is refilled with a prespecified amount of drug portions, and a second value is written into the memory location for the purpose of storing the filling code. In a step c), the second value is saved, together with the identifier which has been read, in a database which can be read by the control device. This database can be, by way of example, part of the control device, or can be arranged outside of the dispensing machine. In a step d), which can be carried out after or in parallel to step c), by way of example, the removable part, with the filled reservoir, is transported back to the dispensing machine and placed on the stationary part of the original or a different storing and metering station. Then the identifier and the filling code of the information memory are read. Next, in a step e), the identifier which has been read, and the value of the filling code which has been read, are compared to the corresponding values in the database, and an error signal is generated if they do not match.
As explained above with reference to the arrangement, in a simple embodiment, the memory location stores a bit for the filling code, the value of which is inverted in step b) after each refilling at the charging station, and the resulting value is saved in the database in step c). In one preferred embodiment, the filling code is a time stamp which corresponds to the time of the refilling at the charging station, wherein the time stamp is stored in the memory location for the filling code in step b), and is saved in the database in step c).
One preferred embodiment of the method is characterized in that in step c), the entry of the database which stores the filling code is addressed by means of the identifier which has been read. This simplifies the method and avoids an additional storage of an assignment of the identifier to the memory location addresses in the database.
In one preferred implementation of the method, in step c), in addition to the filling code, details of the new contents of the reservoir, such as the number and the expiration date of the drug portions which have been filled, are also saved in the database. This enables an automatic adjustment of the data available to the control device of the dispensing machine regarding the drugs in the reservoirs.
Preferably, in step b), the database is queried using the identifier which has been read, and a determination is made using the information saved there as to which type of drug portions must be refilled.
In one preferred embodiment, prior to the refilling in step b), a charging reservoir is provided, an identifier attached to this charging reservoir is read, and a determination is made, using the charging reservoir identifier which has been read and the identifier which has been read from the information memory of the removable part, as to whether the charging reservoir contains the correct drug portions to be refilled. This charging reservoir identifier can have, by way of example, the form of a barcode, and the identifier can be read by means of a scanner, for example. This approach improves the reliability of a correct filling of the reservoir.
Advantageous and/or preferred implementations of the invention are discussed below.